


All the Time in the World

by griever11



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Angst, Could Be Canon, F/M, Post-Apocalypse, Romance, Some time in the future, could be au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-12
Updated: 2019-07-12
Packaged: 2020-06-27 05:13:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,804
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19783954
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/griever11/pseuds/griever11
Summary: “We’re home,” Felicity whispered, her voice like silk in his ear. Soothing. The only good thing left in the world. “Where we started, all that time ago, do you remember?”





	All the Time in the World

**Author's Note:**

> Not necessary, but highly recommended - please listen to this playlist as you read this. It doesn't take away anything from the fic if you don't, but if you do, it adds a certain something, I think. Personally. Thank you! 
> 
> https://open.spotify.com/user/1241364569/playlist/6VxuaZW0dwTpnPfIY19PMd

The air was thick with dust and dirt. Bits of ash floated through the space around them, gray and lifeless, remnants of the destruction that had taken place there months ago. 

Gravel crunched beneath their feet as they picked their way through the decimation of what used to be Star City. There was nothing left of the place they once called home; nothing but rubble and ash and the cloying aura of fear and abandonment. 

“Home sweet home,” Felicity murmured, shattering the silence. There was none of the usual warmth in her voice, just bleak, bleak, sadness. Her fingers curled around Oliver’s wrist, anchoring herself to him. Sharing the despair between them.

“At least we got here in time,” he responded, breathing hard, struggling through the injuries he’d accumulated from being on the run for so long. Every part of him ached and he longed to lie down and fall asleep for years. 

But this first. They had come this far, there was no way they were not going to see it through.

Right to the end. 

“Hey, I recognize this.” Felicity stopped him, a hand on his shoulder. She pivoted on her heels. “This area, I think it’s... feels like -”

He nodded, knowing exactly what she meant. He felt it too, familiarity coursing through his veins as if he had never left the city in the first place. As if they had been transported back in time. “Yeah, I think you’re right.” 

Right at the edge of all the destruction, the ground gave way to a crater so large they couldn’t see past the other side of it. One of the bombs must have made first impact right there, right in the center of the Glades, destroying everything else in its wake. 

He struggled to find his voice, hating the way it cracked as he asked the question that weighed so heavily in both their minds. “Do you think... it’s still there?” 

“I don’t think so, Oliver.” But Felicity was already holding her hand out to him, always there, a steady presence by his side. “ But we can still look. For old time’s sake.” 

The hope in her voice pierced the veil of sadness the way it always did, a ray of light in an otherwise hopeless situation. He shot her a watery smile, gratitude washing over him. Nodding, he closed her fingers around hers, letting her lead the way.

Hand in hand, they made their way closer towards the crater, only stopping when the ground groaned, threatening to crumble away beneath their feet. 

Peering over the side of the gaping chasm, their gaze followed the slope downwards that led into darkness, trying to see if they could recognize anything from the rubble.

They found what they were looking for at the same time. 

The damaged wall, loose bricks and the splinters of wooden beams, slivers of glass and debris. It would have looked like nothing to anyone else, but to _them..._

Her grip around his hand tightened. 

The mangled sign that had the big ‘V’ emblazoned on it was all that remained of the club that housed the foundry. Their first base of operations, where their team really, truly, had begun. Where _they_ began.

Heart clenching, he had to look away as he steadied his breathing. He hadn’t been back since the bombs dropped, far too worried about the radiation and the soldiers that might have still been around. But he should have. He should have _come home._

Overcome with grief, he fell to his knees, ignoring the jarring pain that shot up his spine. Felicity was quick to catch him, strong arms folding him into her, cradling his body against her own. She might be smaller than he was, but the comfort she brought with her had always been larger than life.

The wind howled around them as if it sensed their pain. Dead leaves rustled on the ground, flying away into the distance. There was _nothing_ left. Nothing but cement and stone and bittersweet memories that were quickly fading with time. 

The moon was high in the sky, bright against the stark blackness. Stars glittered overhead, like tiny explosions being set off around the universe. A natural beauty among the despair and helplessness around them. 

They stayed like that for what seemed like forever, his back to her chest, both dealing with the reality of what they were seeing before them in their own way. He found himself sobbing silently, chest heaving, and Felicity hugged him tighter. 

“We’re home,” Felicity whispered, her voice like silk in his ear. Soothing. The only good thing left in the world. “Where we started, all that time ago, do you remember?” 

He coughed, sniffled, and nodded vehemently. Of course he remembered. Nothing could take that away from him. “Got shot, you and Diggle saved me. I almost died.”

“But you didn’t,” she lobbied back. 

It came back to him as clear as if it had happened yesterday. “Cool.” 

He chuckled through his tears at the memory, the movement jostling her.

“Thea was so cute then,” Felicity recalled after a while, arms tightening around his chest. “All excited about managing Verdant and stuff. And Roy. Remember?”

He stilled, muscles tensing. Felicity herself froze behind him, possibly realising her mistake, and just like that the cocoon of warmth she’d created around him dissipated. She shuffled away, leaving some space between them. 

“I’m sorry,” she whispered, voice drifting. “Sorry for talking about Thea.”

He sighed, berating himself for his reaction. He didn’t mean to send her away. It had been a long time since Thea left. Why couldn’t he just get over it? 

Oliver pushed off from the ground, gritting his teeth as his wounds pulled. On all fours, he turned around and knelt before Felicity, who sat cross-legged a few feet from where he was. His hands stroked down her cheeks, willing her to look at him. 

“Don’t be sorry. Never apologise to me. It shouldn’t bother me anymore.”

Her eyes flickered over his face, pensive, stubborn. “She’s still your sister, Oliver. You’re allowed to care.” 

“She chose her side. It wasn’t ours.” 

The words that come out of his mouth were well rehearsed by now, but they didn’t hurt any less. His heart broke all over again, just like it did when Thea made her decision to join _them_ instead of leaving the city with him and Felicity. 

He’d been inconsolable for a long time, determined to look for her to try to change her mind. Days turned to weeks which turned into months, and eventually he gave up. 

He gave up on Thea. 

It broke him.

“She chose to survive,” Felicity countered, leaning forward to touch her forehead to his. How does she always, _always_ see the good in everyone? “She left us because she chose to _live_.” 

It was nothing he hadn’t heard before. They have had this argument a million times. “You chose the same, but _you_ didn’t leave Donna.” 

“And look where that got her,” Felicity snapped. An emotional reflex that he knew she would immediately regret. “It got her dead. My mom is _dead_ , Oliver.” 

Stunned at the vehemence in her voice he softened at her words, understanding colouring his features. 

“I didn’t mean to bring that up,” he murmured. He meant it. They were both suffering and taking it out on each other. Nothing new. They would get over it. 

A loud beep startled them both and they broke apart. Felicity took his hand, twisting his wrist and frowned at the display on his watch. 

He looked down at the blinking white zeros flashing on the small screen. He choked back the building fear creeping up his throat. “It’s time.” 

They got up to their feet, Oliver having to make more of an effort than Felicity. He steadied her, an arm around her shoulders, the other reaching across to twine their fingers together. 

“Time,” she echoed. 

They looked down into the crater, side by side, nothing but the moon illuminating the vast space around them. 

“I’m sorry we never...” Felicity faltered, and then cleared her throat as she huddled closer to him. Took a deep breath in. “I’m sorry we never got to be... anything. Properly.” 

Oh, _no,_ Felicity. 

“But we were, Felicity. We are,” he argued. “We spent two years on the run together. A story for generations,” he said around a rueful smile. “Rebels against the Man. A story of hope that will inspire millions in the years to come.” 

Felicity pursed her lips in a half-smirk, a glimmer of her old self peeking through her now battle-worn, hardened exterior. She nudged him playfully. “Aren’t I supposed to be the one with the all the silver linings in this relationship?” 

“Guess you’re finally rubbing off on me,” he said as he smiled at her. 

His watch beeped again and when he looked down at it, Felicity’s fingers closed around the timepiece, obscuring the display from his view.

“We don’t need it anymore,” she said as she brushed her hand over his wrist, taking the watch off. She let it fall from her fingers onto the ground, stirring up a cloud of dust and sand as it landed. 

He looked away from the crater, turning to Felicity. His hand came up to cup her face, wiping the tears that were falling free from her face with his thumbs. He hoped he sounded reassuring. “We’re okay, Felicity. We made it.” 

Far off in the distance, they heard a rumble of noise approaching them. Like rolling thunder on a stormy night, except they hadn’t had rain in almost a year. 

Oliver steeled himself for what was coming. Felicity was trembling, panic written all over her face. There was a sense of urgency in the air now, increasing as the rumbling got louder. 

“I... I never told you, Oliver,” she whispered, voice shaking with emotion. “How much I lo-” 

“I know.” Could a heart break when it was already shattered into pieces? He swallowed hard. “I already _know_ Felicity. I always did.” 

A pinprick of light bloomed along the horizon, disguising the danger that it brought with it.

Oliver took her hand, brought it up to his chest and turning his back at the increasing ball of brightness to face her one last time. After all, Felicity had always been the only light he needed in his life. 

“Everything I wanted is right here with me. Right now. You’re all I ever needed in my life,” he declared steadily. “Don’t ever doubt that, Felicity.”

She opened his mouth to respond, but he silenced her with a look. They were out of time for words, and he wanted one last sweet memory to take with him. 

Her eyes widened with understanding. 

He kissed her. 

And then world around them exploded with light. 

**Author's Note:**

> I cannibalised an older fic that I wrote and updated this for Arrow, in case there are some of you recognise this. I hope that it translated well. 
> 
> Twitter: @griever_11
> 
> You can yell at me there. Or in the comments. I'll accept anything. Love you all xo. They didn't die.


End file.
